Conventionally, reader devices for reading information from a form (for example, a passport which includes an IC chip) or a card (for example, an IC card) have been used, and, as such a reader device, those provided with a function of judging whether a form or card is a genuine or counterfeit one have been proposed.
For example, a method is known in which genuine/counterfeit judgment of a passport is performed on the basis of image data obtained by radiating infrared rays or ultraviolet rays onto the front face of a passport (on the basis of whether or not a particular pattern stands out, whether or not there is something unnatural in an image, or the like) (see Patent Literature 1).
Especially, on an IC card, such a hologram mark that a particular pattern stands out is formed on the surface of the card so as to detect whether the card is counterfeited (see, for example, Patent Literature 2). A method for detecting the hologram mark is also known (see, for example, Patent Literature 3).
In conventional reader devices, however, the operation load of image processing is heavy because genuine/counterfeit judgment is performed on the basis of image data or a hologram mark, and much time may be required to perform genuine/counterfeit judgment of a form or a card. Furthermore, it becomes possible to duplicate such an image data or a hologram mark with the recent progress of image forming techniques, and detection of counterfeiting may not be certainly performed by the genuine/counterfeit judgment using such a superficial and physical image forming technique.